YUMMY Veggie Lasagna :)

Veggie Lasagna (This is a variation of a recipe that I found on www.3fatchicks.com - A GREAT diet online support site with GREAT recipe swaps!)

Yellow Squash/Zucchini (I used 3 yellow squash and 1 zucchini)
1 tablespoon of Italian dressing (I made my own viniagrette instead).
Use just enough to coat the squash and zucchini

Marinate for 4 hours in the refrigerator

Grill the squash and zucchini until tender (I used my George Foreman Grill)

Spray a deep baking dish with Pam

Layer the bottom with the grilled Zucchini and Squash
Cover with your favorite spaghetti sauce (I made my easy marinara-see below), ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese (I added 1 egg to bind it together and added some drained frozen spinach - It was excellent. Next time, I may add just a little italian sausage.)

I layered this.....little sauce (to prevent sticking), then a layer of squash, marinara, cheese filling, squash, marinara, cheese, squash, marinara, and LOTS OF CHEESE ON TOP!

Bake at 400 until done. (About 20 mins.) (Let it set for about 5 minutes before cutting/serving.)

This was so good, you just can't believe it!

Jen's easy marinara (This is a variation of a Weight Watcher marinara)
1 large can of stewed crushed tomatoes
palmful (2 tbsp) of garlic powder (or a minced garlic clove if I have it on hand)
palmful (2 tbsp) of italian seasoning blend (I use Emeril's Italian Essence, but any brand will be fine)
1/4 tsp or small pinch of salt
1 tbsp or 1/2 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes (depending on whether or not you like spicy food)
1 tsp of splenda (or sugar if you like) --- Any time you add sugar/splenda to a tomato product, it brings out the tomato flavor and helps develop the flavor in the sauce. I use a pinch of splenda in my salsa too.

Mix together and simmer in a sauce pan until warm throughout. I use this for pizza sauce, pasta sauce, and dipping sauce for grilled veggies or breadsticks.

If you like your sauce extra chunky, then add a small can of diced/whole stewed tomatoes. Dump contents of can into a bowl and use a fork to break up the tomatoes into chunks, then mix in with other sauces.

As easy as this sauce is, I will never buy store bought sauces again. At least, I know what goes into it......Also, to make it a meat sauce, I just brown the meat (Italian Sausage or ground beef, etc.) and then drain. Then, I add the sauce to the skillet.

The viniagrette that I used to marinate my squash was a mixture of a good grade olive oil (you want something with a green tint. Light color olive oil is good for cooking, medium color (for my tastes) are better for salad dressings, etc.) I used about 3 tbsp of EVOO (extra virgin olive oil for those of you who don't watch Rachel Ray HAHA) and about a 1 tsp or so of red wine vinegar. I added a little salt, a little Emeril Italian Essence. I would have added a little more seasoning if it was a dressing, but since it was a marinade, I made a little heavy on the EVOO since I was grilling the veggies.